Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, is once again spreading health-related misinformation. At a recent press conference, Ladapo was asked about ongoing measles outbreaks in the state. Though Ladapo did reiterate his support for measles vaccination, he also appeared to suggest that some people at a local Catholic university might have avoided getting their shots because the vaccine was developed with cells from an aborted fetus—a misleading claim often espoused by the antivaccination movement. “[W]hether there’s a connection between the fact that you know some of the students at this university chose not to receive that vaccine, and it happens to be a vaccine that is related to the practice of abortion, I’m not sure,” Ladapo said at one point, according to the Florida Phoenix, a local media outlet. The abortion vaccine claim Measles has made an unfortunate comeback in the U.S. At least 2,318 cases have been reported nationwide this year, already eclipsing last year’s case toll. And while it’s not official yet, it’s likely the U.S. has lost its measles-free status, meaning the virus is endemic in the country again.
Though states like Texas and Utah have been hit harder by recent measles outbreaks, Florida isn’t too far behind. The state has reported at least 141 cases this year, the fifth-most in the U.S. A substantial proportion of these cases have been traced back to students attending Ave Maria University, a private Catholic college in Collier County. And it’s these cases that Ladapo was attempting to explain away at a press conference held last Friday.
